1. FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a sorting machine, and more particularly to a post-processing sorting machine for selectively sorting and housing recorded sheets from a photocopier or printer.
2. DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART
A conventional sorting machine is known in which trays are fixed to maintain vertical intervals, respectively, and a recorded sheet fed from a feed opening by a transport mechanism is discharged into a tray selected by a tray selecting mechanism. In another arrangement already known, trays fixed to maintain vertical intervals, respectively, are moved integrally upwardly and downwardly so as to align an entry of a selected tray with a recorded sheet discharge portion so that the recorded sheet is discharged.
Conventional sorting machines in which the trays are fixed, however, have a complex arrangement for discharging a recorded sheet guided from the feed opening to the selected tray through transport mechanism and the tray selecting mechanisim, making the overall machine very costly, creating difficult operation, and preventing easy maintenance and inspectors.
Furthermore, a sorting machine in which the trays are moved integrally requires a complicated mechanism for moving the trays so as to match the timing with the transport mechanism. In cases where a large number of recorded sheets are discharged to the trays, the trays become very heavy so that means for lifting the trays requires a large driving capacity and there are difficulties in achieving high speed in transporting the recorded sheets to the trays.